January 2011 Newsletter

New Years Resolutions and Neuroscience

Hi everyone. In the timeless words of John Lennon “Another years over, and a new one’s just begun”.

It is common at this time of year for everyone to be bombarded with yet another set of “how to” set your intentions for the New Year. As most of us have found, after a spurt of initial enthusiasm effort and positive intention, regardless of how well planned we are, or determined we are, most of the list of new ways of being just get swallowed up by old habits re-asserting themself from the unconscious.

Why is this? The recent scientific research into the human mind and relationship to our brain has shown how the power of our habits are tied in part to existing neural networks and a BodyMind database of beliefs, conclusions and images of who we are. This interconnected system of body and mind is quite ingrained and must be approached deliberately if one is to make sustainable change over time.

I have researched this fascinating area of the human condition and found how Neuroscience and age old spirituality are starting to tell us very similar information about ourself and about changing the basis of ourself. I refer you all to my Manifestation – The Mindspace of Quantum Physics and Neuroscience article on the Energetics Institute website to understand that change of habit is the slow process of the “tortoise” who finally wins the race, and not the gimmicky fast paced “hare” who races around and demands change now!

Neuroscience tells us that initial exposure to change and stimulus of say a wonderful Transformation programme run over a weekend that will somehow “change your life”, engages neural circuits in our brains which are a sort of “guns for hire”. These neural circuits handle novelty, new information and new stimulus and help process that information and experience through short term memory areas of the brain. However they do not lay down new long term neural pathways to embed that change.

The brain works to change via repetition and re-occurrence which tells the brain that this activity is somehow prevalent in our environment and so we must adapt to it. The brain is evidence based in this respect and after noting a pattern will start to form new neural connections that will embed in our unconscious behavioural patterns typically after about 2 to 3 months of daily encounters with this new stimulus.

Too many people in the healing arts try to sell healing experiences as an “event”. Unfortunately this is counter to the way we are designed to be, change and adapt in life. If you want to succeed then set your intentions and like the tortoise, plan a slow and steady process that will see you win your own race to change your life.

The Energetics Institute encourages all our clients to see their therapy journey in this way and realise authentic sustainable change in themself. Let the “hares” race off to the “next big thing” being touted out there, and you just keep moving along your path, and all will be well!

New Year Words from Leslee

Hi to all, from Core Future, which is the evolution of Core Energetics NSW. So we see the end of 2010 and bring in a brand new year full of hope and longings. Why not consider making this a reality, not by sitting in an armchair wishing and hoping but by actively working through challenging any blockages, beliefs, defences that may knock out the positive intent.

In our duality, for every YES there is a NO, to counteract the positivity. So let us shine a bright light onto the self sabotaging behaviour and work with the Core Energetics principle of charging and discharging to help release this negative force and bring in an even more powerful light direct from your heart and soul. Be all that you can be, there are no limits, there is no shame in this work only pride in taking responsibility for yourself and your life – no blame.

I committed to his path 14 years ago and have not been disappointed. It gave me my life back, a healthy loving relationship with my husband of 35 years Steve, and 3 daughters who are flying without their parents’ baggage. What a delight to see and now I have the privilege to be a grandmother to Ailah who came into this world 14 months ago, a pure gift of love.

For those of you who would like to go on their personal journey to your light, I would extend my hand to you so that we can work together side by side to triumph over the saboteur and bring the power of Core into your life. Above all, we work to find pleasure in life and hope for such a positive future, connected to self and sure footed and grounded in your full essence. Be a role model to the world where you can inspire others, and replace hope that has been lost.

What better way to start the new year, I look forward to hearing from you and working together, I am contactable on 040 7934499 here in New South Wales or mail@lesleehughes.com.au

Blessings,

Leslee

Come and do a Retreat

One way to further your journey along your healing path is to do some group oriented work. Group work offers some energetic and psychological dynamics not usually present in the traditional one-on-one settings of therapy. A weekend retreat is being offered in Perth, Western Australia from January 21 to January 23, 2011.

The presence of a group has the effect of deepening the process of the individual clients.

The reasons are numerous. Firstly the energetic container under which the work takes place is greater than that which exists in one-to-one therapy. This energy vortex that arises when the group forms a circle, is representative of many traditional society and shamanic practices where a group circle is formed to contain the ritual or process being performed. The effect is that the client appears to have their defences challenged to a greater degree, and is able to breakthrough their social mask, into their disowned and repressed shadow material.

Secondly the group represents both a safe family and unbiased witnesses or observers to the client working on their struggle. For many clients from dysfunctional families, this group may represent the first occasion where their suffering can be safely expressed and heard without judgement, or fear of suppression, punishment or denial, which is common in many families. The support of the group allows the individual to affirm themselves both through the eyes of others, and through being able to express their truth directly to others in a safe way.

The facilitator and the group can offer feedback to assist the individual in uncovering distortions they carry, and to get “reality checks” from the group. The group can also allow the individual to bond with others both during the group event, and afterwards if they connect with another attendee. The therapist does not carry out social relationships with any of their clients. The often felt sense of isolation that afflicts many in our society can be overcome via reconnection to group in this way.

Perhaps the most interesting facet of group process is the ability of the individual to re-constellate their family of origin when working on their issues. In many processes, the psychodynamic work will proceed on a basis where the “triggering dynamic” is setup by the facilitator and other attendees in front of the individual. This re-creation of a person(s) or environment will assist in arousing repressed shadow self feelings.

The therapist in the group setting encourages the individual to select those persons from the group who best symbolize those persons from their past who they still “have an emotional charge on”, if that is the context of the issue brought into the retreat. This is only done with the consent of those people concerned.

The facilitator gets the client to constellate or arrange these persons in the symbolic stance or relationship in terms of distance, and posture that symbolizes the relationship the individual had with this other person or dynamic. This typically will trigger the client, with encouragement from the group, to confront the situation in the psychodynamic process, and reassert themselves to that dynamic that exists but which needs to be addressed in a new way.

By changing the dynamic in group retreat work one then later continues this work with follow up in other settings. The group work is powerful for it can create deep visual and emotionally charged images that are the currency of change in the brain. If continued then this changes over time the relevant dynamic in their everyday world via changing the images held by the brain and in the internal reality of the person’s unconscious life.

If you would like to know more about our January 2011 retreat then contact me on 040 7577793.

Enjoy whatever remaining holidays you have in January and I wish you all best with your New Year intentions!